Southern California -- this just in

Some Indian tribes back online poker legalization in California

December 8, 2010 | 9:13
am

POKER FIGHT: A battle is brewing among Inland Empire Indian tribes over whether to back legalization of online poker in California. According to the Press-Enterprise, some tribes favor the idea, other oppose it:

The measure would put a "licensed entity" that already has a casino or card club in California in charge of an "intrastate Internet poker website." In return, the entity would pay the state an unspecified share of the revenue. Federal law prohibits online gambling, but increasingly popular websites based outside the U.S. attract an estimated 2 million California poker players who bet as much as $300 million annually, according to an estimate earlier this year.

SOFT POWER: Westchester woman battled a home intruder using her futon. (Daily Breeze)

NEW LIFE FOR OLD DEPARTMENT STORE: The shuttered First Street Stores department store in East L.A. might become a charter school. (Eastsider L.A.) The Times' Hector Becerra wrote a memorable Column One when the venerable store shut its doors in 2007.